Bill and Barb … where to next?

We arrived in East Jordan, MI last Monday and have been quite busy exploring this state since then.  Our visit with Beth & Peter went by so quickly.  They are great hosts and we enjoyed visiting very much.

Now, it’s time to catch up with my blog!!!  One of our favorite side trips was to Mackinac Island with Beth and her daughter Amy!

Of course these two didn’t look like “tourists” at all!!

On the island, there was a butterfly conservatory called “Wings of Mackinac”.

There was one butterfly who “really” liked Bill …

Another fun night with Peter & Beth was “Stolling the Streets” in Boyne City!  Bill & I were even able to dance a bit!

We also enjoyed visiting East Jordan, Harbor Springs, Petosky, Charlevoix and Walloon Lake.

 Of course we were introduced to “Petosky Stones” and made that a passion to find some … and we did!  They are fossilized rocks that lived 350 to 400 million years ago!

Thank you Peter, Beth and Ace for making our visit to Michigan an enjoyable one.  Hopefully someday we will return and get to explore the UP (Upper Peninsula)!!

Oh yeah,,,,, can’t forget “Speckles & Mel”!  They had a great visit as well!

Next stop … Shipshewana, Indiana … Amish country!!

Today was a travel day along Lake Erie into Ohio.  Here for one night at a KOA just south of Toledo.

Noticed that western NY & eastern PA were mostly fields and fields and fields of grapes!! Must be some good wine!! Wasn’t til we got into OH did we see corn and soy bean fields.

ALOT of wind turbines seen as well.

We look for “Flying J’s” along our travels.  They have designated gas Lanes for RV’s as well as getting 2 cents off each gallon with our FJ card.  I use an app on my phone called “mypilot” to find the Flying J’s along our planned route.  You can also go to their website “www.pilotflyingj.com”.

We stopped at a service rest area to make sandwiches for lunch. It was a large parking lot with lots of empty spaces … wouldn’t you know this 18-wheeler would park directly beside us and run his diesel??? This isn’t the first time we’ve encountered this. I truly believe they do not like RV’s!!!

So aggravating! !

Speckles & Mel wanted to take the exit for Sandusky and go to Cedar Point but … that didn’t happen.

Another unhappy traveler was Walter! He wasn’t happy having to share his seat with flowers!!

So tomorrow we go north into Michigan to visit friends Peter &  Beth.  We look forward to charting new territory again!

We had a great time visiting Niagara Falls both on the US side as well as the Canadian side.  So many pictures ,,, only picking some of them.  I will say we like the Canadian side of Niagara Falls so much better than the US side!  It’s like visiting an amusement park in Canada whereas the US side only has a state park for viewing.

1st the US Side of the falls:

We did not go on the “Maid of the Mist” or to the “Cave of Winds” as the temperature was in the 90’s and being packed together on either of them with plastic rain gear did not appeal to us.  Bill did go out on the “Observatory” over the falls and if you look closely, he did take a picture of me from there waving back at him.  The zip line is on the Canada side and,,,, no we did not do that either.  LOL.

The Canadian side:

We had lunch atop the “Skylon Tower”.  I didn’t care for the elevator ride up or down; however, I did enjoy the sights from our seats.

We enjoyed “Clifton Street” as well as the Casino (only donated $10).  Again, the Canadian side is so much more impressive than the US.

Lest I forget … “Mel & Speckles” had a great time in Niagara Falls as well as Canada!

So, goodbye Niagara NY and Canada!  Tomorrow morning we will be on the road again with a destination of Toledo, Ohio for one night.  Monday we expect to be at Peter & Beth’s (frogger family) in Michigan!!

Well, we made it to Omemee, ON, Canada (home of Rick, Barb, Bree Bree & Crackers)!  We did well at the border crossings with the exception of Bill telling the guard he was from CT versus FL as stated on our passports!  Also, on the way back to the US, Bill forgot to take off his sunglasses which is a no no!  It was a rather easy crossing both ways.  Guess we look old and innocent!

We had an awsome visit with Rick & Barb.  They are such gracious hosts.  We joked about feeling we were at an “all-inclusive resort”.  We even had a visit from Lorne & Connie and their pup “Sarg” who are “froggers” also living nearby in Canada. There are SO MANY photos … too many to share all here; however, I will share some of the best.

Early Morning

Sunrise

An Osprey

Each morning, we would get up early and sit on their porch overlooking the river and watch the wildlife and sun rise.  Rick always had a coffee made for us.

We went for a ride on their pontoon boat.  “Crackers” loved sitting on the edge and letting the wind blow his hair. . . no fear!

Well, zip-lining was on my bucket list and I had all intentions of doing it in Canada; however, the course was more of an adventure with ladders and a wobbly rope bridge which my knee and balance prevented me from accomplishing.  BUT,,,,, Bill & Barb did manage to zip!  They did awsome!  I still have it on my bucket list and WILL do it somewhere sometime!

We also went to a farm and met two cows “Laverne & Whitey”.  They were skittish however and I was not able to cuddle either of them.

Rick had a surprise for us on our last day there and took us on a “Liftlock cruise” in Peterborough.  It is a boat lift located on the Trent Canal and is the highest hydraulic boat lift in the world, raising boats 65 feet high.  It was quite the experience to be lifted up while sitting on the boat!

We grew to love “Bree & Crackers” while there.  They are both such personable pups and so friendly.  I became rather attached to Crackers.  Bree Bree has this odd manner whenever she sees a camera or electronic device or even hearing the mouse click on the computer….. she does this sort of spiral turn …

Thank you Rick, Barb, Bree & Crackers for a wonderful vacation in Canada.  We look forward to seeing you again at Frog Creek in a few months!!

Journeyed to Grand Island, NY today and parked at a KOA in Niagara Falls.

Yesterday we went to downtown Saratoga. It’s a nice area with lots of shops and outdoor cafes.  There are 23 fiberglass painted horses in the area as well as 24 fiberglass ballet slippers.

 G willikers!! Mel & Speckles were even able to sit on top of one of the horses!

We picked up a traveler overnight but had to leave it at the marina! Ugh!!!

We arrived at Grand Island early this afternoon. Did I mention how much I hate bridges???  We had a couple errands to run and found Walmart (of course)!! Had to also exchange a little $ to Canadian $ for our next journey.

The mall we were in (to do $ exchange) had these awsome animals you could rent to ride in the mall… $10.00 for 15 minutes! Boy! Would I love to have this cow to ride!!!

Saw this cute painting on a car in the parking lot! Debbie … you definitely should have this!!

So we are packed, passports, maps …. ready to leave the country in the morning. My biggest worry is getting through customs and then getting through Toronto!!  Then I’ll relax and look forward to spending some fun time with Barb & Rick Cobbet!!

We arrived in NY and are staying at Arrowhead Marina & RV Park in Glenville. It’s a great little park hidden away and sits alongside the Mohawk River.

Our first night here we were awakened by our weather alerts warning us of flash flooding at 3:00 in the morning!  It was raining pretty heavily.  Now fresh in our minds was the horrible flooding going on in Maryland and, being alongside a river, we had visions of our RV floating away.  Bill got up and opened the door to check the water level with his flashlight (in his birthday suit)!!  No flooding!

We journeyed to Lake George (about an hour northeast) yesterday. This is my all time most favorite location in the country (aside from Maine). I just love the mountains and lakes.

And,,, who knew they’d have a “Taco tuesday” cruise!

The flowers are beautiful lakeside… (minus the bees)

Today we tried our luck (or lack of) at the “Saratoga Racetrack”.

Saratoga Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York which opened in August of 1863.  We won two out of eight races.  We’ll never get rich by gambling… better stick to lottery tickets (less expensive).

We are on the road again.  It’s been a great visit to Maine to be with family and friends again.  Parting is such sweet sorrow; but, we have new traveling companions to keep us happy!

Meet “Speckles & Mel” … given to us by our grandaughters. They will continue on our journey with us.

Had the girls for their last sleepover. Lots of fun … crafts, karaoke, swimming and toasting marshmallows.  Thank goodness for Skype so we can stay connected.

Enjoyed having family over Saturday for a cookout and goodbyes … our little mermaid (aka our great grandaughter) is just the sweetest. She will celebrate her 1st birthday in a month.

Our travels will now take us to Glenville, NY where we will explore the Adirondack Mountains and Saratoga horse racing amongst other areas.  Then… off to Ontario, Canada, Niagara Falls and Michigan!

Gotta love Maine fresh seafood! We took a ferry to Long Island (Maine) to see old friends/neighbors whom I hadn’t seen for 48 years.

I grew up next door to Pat (gray shirt) & Gary.  Gary actually use to babysit me.  Pat is a lobsterman and treated us to a lobstah dinnah! It was an awsome visit and one of many to come in future  years!

Also went to visit my Aunt Ola whom I always make sure to see when in Maine. She is a sweet Aunt whom I love very much.  96 years young in September.

Another of our recent excursions landed us in Freeport (Maine) … home of “LL Bean”.

LL Bean is an American, privately held e-commerce, mail-order, and retail company founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean. The company is currently based in Freeport, Maine.  Great items … guaranteed for life!

While in Freeport, we came across “Wilbur Chocolates of Maine”!! Who knew?? Thought the only Wilbur chocolates were in Pennsylvania!

Well, our stay in Maine is drawing to a close (sadly). Only 3 more sleeps (as a dear friend would say). We’ll be heading further north to upstate NY for a visit to my favorite spot in Lake George.  Will miss my family terribly, but looking forward to our continued journey!

… as they say in Maine

Enjoyed time in the lakes region of Naples.  Enjoyed watching the seaplane and boats along the Causeway.  Stopped at “Buck’s Naked BBQ Steakhouse” for a great meal.

The grandaughters were able to learn to kayak this week.  Thanks Cheryl & Brian for transporting our kayaks to Maine!

Natalie’s Uncle Ben

#1 Grandson Nate

Natalie’s 1st reunion/pinata

Cousins…girl power

Riley using his super hero strength to break the pinata

We had our 41 st Annual Family Reunion this weekend. It was great seeing everyone!

We journeyed to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.  The scenery was beautiful! The temps in the mountains dropped down to the low 60’s!

Bill seemed to get lost for awhile but managed to regroup and find his way …

Of course he found “Chutters Candy” which has the world’s longest candy counter (112 feet).  Bill’says favorite ‘ole candy is “zagnuts”!

During this reunion weekend, a couple of family quilts were passed hands.  One quilt is the “crazy quilt” which was started at the turn of the century (1895) and was crafted by many of our family over the years.  The other quilt is a “states quilt” which has 48 states represented  (not the last 2 states to join).  Again worked by the women of this family.  The intricate work on these quilts is just amazing!

It’s been a busy few days but very rewarding in so many ways…

Tuesday we went to Hermon (2 hours north) to visit a friend whom I hadn’t seen for 25 or so years.  Laurie formerly babysat my two boys in years gone by. Great seeing her. We took the coastal US Route 1 back.  Had lunch at “McLaughlin’s Lobster Shack” in the coastal town of Lincolnville where we watched the ferry.

The Margaret Chase Smith ferry is operated by the Maine State Ferry Service connecting Lincolnville and the island of Islesboro.  Depending on the month, the ferry makes the twenty minute/3 mile passage between 12 and 18 times per day.  While eating outside, this one seagull stood watch over my every bite!

We drove by “Moody’s Diner” in Waldoboro.  We had always been told by Scott & Marilyn Mosher to stop to eat there; however, we had already eaten.  It has been around since 1927 and is an iconic spot to stop at.

Thursday we stopped at “Cape Neddick Light” (aka Nubble Lighthouse) in York.  It was erected in 1874.

We had lunch at “Fox’s Lobster Shack” while there.  We came across a scuba diver who showed us some of his catch … a starfish, hermit crab, periwinkle and blood starfish.

Yesterday had a nice visit and lunch with Mom’s cousin, Kay.  She is 90 years young and a spirited person. Loved visiting her.

Only 16 more days in Maine … will be very hard to leave but … excited to chart new territories.